PKK militant group close to announcing decision to disband, Turkey's pro-Kurdish party says
The armed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, whose leadership is based in northern Iraq, has already convened a long-awaited congress and could make an announcement 'at any moment,' according to Aysegul Dogan, a spokeswoman for the People's Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM.
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Toronto Star
3 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Photos of mourning for Colombian Sen. Miguel Uribe, who died 2 months after shooting at a rally
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian mourned Miguel Uribe, 39, an opposition senator and presidential hopeful who died after being shot at a political rally two months ago. Uribe was shot three times while giving a campaign speech in Bogota and had been in intensive care since the attack.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cambodian migrant workers face an uncertain future as Thai border conflict drives them home
KAMRIENG, Cambodia (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Cambodian migrant workers have been heading home from Thailand as the two countries work to keep a ceasefire in armed clashes along their border. Tensions between the countries have escalated due to disputes over pockets of land along their 800 kilometer (500 mile) border. A five-day clash in July left at least 43 people dead and displaced more than 260,000 in both Southeast Asian nations. A fragile ceasefire brokered by Malaysia, with backing from the U.S. and China, appears to be holding while officials try to resolve issues underlying the conflict. The retreat has left many of the workers streaming back to Cambodia wondering how to get by after they left jobs that enabled them to send money back to their families. Kri Phart, a 56-year-old poultry worker, said he began packing after reading a post by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Facebook urging migrants to return to Cambodia. 'I have no idea if the fighting will really stop and with fewer and fewer Cambodians in Thailand, I got nervous,' said Kri Phart, seated on a stoop with two big bags of belongings and a big electric fan. 'I didn't want to be the last Cambodian migrant in Thailand.' 'I got scared because of the border conflict,' said Kri Phart, one of thousands of Cambodians streaming shoulder-to-shoulder through the Daung International Border Gate last week, hauling rainbow colored bags, appliances and even guitars in the 40 Celsius (104 F) heat. 'Many of the Cambodians I knew working in Thailand ran away. Everyday more and more of us fled,' he said. The reasons driving Cambodians to flee Thailand are varied. Human rights activists reported that some migrant workers had been attacked by gangs of young Thais. Others were alarmed by unsubstantiated rumors that the Cambodian government would seize their land and revoke their citizenships if they didn't return home by mid-August. Cambodia's Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training estimates 1.2 million Cambodians were working in Thailand when the border disputes began to escalate in June. Estimates vary, but Sun Mesa, a ministry spokesman said at least 780,000 — about 65% — have returned to Cambodia. He said the workers could find jobs with equal pay and benefits back home. Many of those who were driven by poverty or climate change to leave for work in Thailand expressed doubts. 'Now that I am back, there is going to be no income for a while and this will really put my family in a bad situation,' said Thouk Houy, 26, who left a job at a leather factory south of Bangkok that enabled her to send $70 to $100 a month back to her parents. 'I'm the last of my siblings who is still single, meaning it's my responsibility to support my parents. I don't know how I can do that now that I am back home,' she said. Minor spats between Cambodian and Thai workers at the factory and her mother's nightly pleas for her to go home were factors behind her decision to leave, she said. Handing over her belongings to be strapped into the back of a precariously packed van, Thouk Houy said the clincher was a claim by influential former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, father of the current prime minister, Hun Manet, that Thailand was preparing to invade. 'Now that I'm home, what will I do to make a living?' she said. Migrant workers fill vital roles in Thailand's farming, construction and manufacturing industries. They also send home close to $3 billion in remittances each year, according to labor ministry data. The loss of that income can be devastating for families relying on it to manage big debts, said Nathan Green, an assistant professor of geography at the National University of Singapore. 'These kinds of conflicts demonstrate how precarious migrant livelihoods are in Cambodia,' Green said. An overseas advocacy group, the Khmer Movement for Democracy, has urged the government to defer loan payments and provide incentives for companies to hire returning migrants. 'Without economic safeguards, families of returning migrants will not be able to repay their debts and financial institutions will be at their throats,' said Mu Sochua, the group's president. 'We are talking about the poorest of the poor, who will be deprived of incomes.' Meng Yeam, who was trying to wave down a taxi while keeping an eye on his belongings, said he managed to send his family back home 20,000 baht (roughly $600) while working as a manager at a rubber factory in eastern Thailand's Chonburi Province. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. More than 90% of the Cambodians working in the factory have left, said the 32-year-old. Meng Yeam said he expected his family to be okay, though it won't be able to save as much as it did while he was working in Thailand. And he was glum about the prospects for things to return to normal. 'Cambodia and Thailand need each other to do well, but for now, it seems like we just cannot get along,' Meng Yeam said. 'I hope we can work in Thailand again one day, but who knows, maybe I will be retired by the time we stop fighting.' ___ Sopheng Cheang reported from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Winnipeg Free Press
33 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
South Korean President Lee will travel to Washington for Aug. 25 meeting with Trump
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's new President Lee Jae Myung will travel to Washington later this month to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, Lee's office said Tuesday, for talks on trade and defense cooperation in the face of nuclear-armed North Korea and other threats. Their Aug. 25 summit will follow a July trade deal in which Washington agreed to cut its reciprocal tariff on South Korea to 15% from the initially proposed 25% and to apply the same reduced rate to South Korean cars, the country's top export to the United States. South Korea also agreed to purchase $100 billion in U.S. energy and invest $350 billion in the country, and the leaders could use their meeting to discuss expanding cooperation in key industries such as semiconductors, batteries and shipbuilding, Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said. The meeting also comes amid concerns in Seoul that the Trump administration could shake up the decades-old alliance by demanding higher payments for the U.S. troop presence in South Korea and possibly move to reduce it as Washington shifts more focus on China. Lee and Trump will discuss strengthening the allies' defense posture against growing North Korean threats, and also developing the partnership into a 'future-oriented, comprehensive strategic alliance' to address the changing international security and economic environment, according to Kang, who didn't elaborate on the specific issues to be addressed. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Dating back to his first term, Trump has regularly called for South Korea to pay more for the 28,500 American troops stationed on its soil. Recent comments by key Trump administration officials, including Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, have also suggested a desire to restructure the alliance, which some experts say could potentially affect the size and role of U.S. forces in South Korea. Under this approach, South Korea would take a greater role in countering North Korean threats while U.S. forces focus more on China, possibly leaving Seoul to face reduced benefits but increased costs and risks, experts say.
